


The Case of the Holiday Destination

by LadyGrey_BlackTea



Series: MageFam Week 2020 [3]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, MageFam Week (The Dragon Prince), Magefam, Pre-Canon, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23788489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyGrey_BlackTea/pseuds/LadyGrey_BlackTea
Summary: King Harrow suddenly declared a vacation break for the High Council and ordered them all to go travel somewhere, but Lord Viren wasn’t near as thrilled about the trip prospects as Claudia and Soren. The only thing he knew was that he wasn’t going anywhere near the beach.Written for #MageFamWeek2020 – Day 3: Vacation, hosted by @yukifrill
Relationships: Claudia & Soren & Viren (The Dragon Prince)
Series: MageFam Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1712476
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	The Case of the Holiday Destination

**Author's Note:**

> I always seem to be late for the day's prompt, I wonder if my timezone's simply late... -_-

Lord Viren couldn’t believe his ears.

“I beg your pardon?”

The High Council meeting had just been closed with the shocking announcement that the next meeting would be adjourned until after the ‘vacation’.

“Are you now acquainted with the meaning of ‘vacation’, Lord Viren?” High Cleric Opeli asked. “Vacation, in the sense of holiday, is a period during which the usual routine of work is suspended. It is also known as recess, break or leave,” she added.

 _That smug bitch_.

“Of course I’m familiar with the connotation of ‘vacation’, thank you for your dictation nonetheless,” he replied, coldly. “What remains unknown to me is why this High Council believes we can take a ‘holiday’ and leave this kingdom leaderless until the end of the ‘recess’. Do you think Katolis’ problems will remain slumbering while we are on a ‘break’? Do you believe the Xadian threat will be suspended during our ‘leave’?”

“I’m sure the Xadians have holidays too, Viren. You just need to loosen up,” King Harrow interrupted, stepping between the High Mage and the High Cleric in a placating stance. “A break will agree with you in particular, my friend. I’ll make sure Soren has a break from the Crownguard so he can stay with you. Just go somewhere with your children and relax, this is an order.”

“As you wish, my King,” he answered instead, drowning the grudge from his voice. He hated it when Harrow pulled rank like this.

His son and daughter, however, were much more excited about the prospect of a trip than he was. After telling them about the change of plans for the week, the siblings released a loud Whoop and started to dance around Viren singing “Va-ca-tion! Va-ca-tion! Va-ca-tion,” definitely oblivious to the poker face their father was making. He didn’t have energy left to stop them, so he just let the noise die naturally.

“Do you have any suggestions about the destination? Claudia? Soren?” he asked them.

“The beach!” Soren immediately answered.

“Oh, yes! It’s been a very long time since we went to the beach!”

Viren had to keep them from chanting “Beach! Beach! Beach!” around him again.

“No, anywhere but the beach,” he said, firmly.

The twin shocked looks in his children’s faces was hilarious enough that Viren felt the corners of his mouth threatening to go up.

“But Dad... it’s the beach! You can feel the sun, get tanned, swim in the ocean, surf...” his firstborn started.

“And you can relax all the day in the sand, grab a book and watch Soren get wiped out of his surfboard,” Claudia finished.

“Hey!” Soren complained.

“I saw what I saw...” she sang back.

Viren interrupted their arguing. “No, we’re not going to the beach. It’s too hot, the water’s salty, sand sticks to you in all the ungodly places, you always get sunburnt, Claudia...”

“Not true! The last time I used a lot of sunscreen potion and just got a little red!”

“Ah, I remember that! You were peeling everywhere, Clauds! Even your head was peeling! Truth be told, it looked like dandruff, so it was kinda disgusting. Ouch!”

Viren pretended he didn’t see his daughter pinching Soren’s arm when he continued. “And, worst of all, the beach has seagulls and Opeli, so no, we’re not going to the beach and this is not a discussion.”

“Meh.”

“I hate Opeli,” complained Claudia.

“Exactly my point, daughter.”

“I know! Let’s go somewhere with ancient ruins! I love ancient ruins!” Claudia looked excited about the idea.

“And somewhere we can practice some sport,” Soren chimed in. “Maybe the mountains! We can go hiking and practice ski and snowboard!”

_The mountains might not be a bad idea at all. I could snuggle up next to the fire with wine and get some reading._

It was arranged that they would take a nice cozy cottage just a few hours by horse (in case Lord Viren was needed for a state emergency). He wouldn’t admit to anyone, but this time Viren was looking forward to his vacations.

“Oh Viren, I’m glad you’re here,” Harrow said, intercepting him in the corridor leading to the throne room. “There’s something I need your help with.”

“Are you canceling the ‘vacation’ after all, Harrow?” Viren asked, trying to sound hopeful even if he was feeling quite the opposite. “Soren and Claudia will be devastated.”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that. I know you’ve already made plans for your trip with them, but I was wondering if you might consider changing your plans and staying with me and the children at the Banther Lodge.”

Viren was taken aback. Staying at the royal winter house was a great honor, but he wasn’t an easy man.

“I don’t know, Harrow. Claudia was looking forward to exploring some ancient ruins and Soren’s already packed his snowboard...”

“We have ancient ruins near the Lodge and there’ll be certainly enough snow to snowboard. To be honest, as much as I enjoy spending time with my boys, they still have too much energy. I was hoping your children could drain a bit of Callum and Ezran’s energy so we old man can have some rest too.”

“We’re not that old yet, Harrow... but yes, I’ll consider your generous offer.”

“Oh, and I forgot to mention: I’ve selected some vintage wines and strong cheeses for this trip and I can’t possibly consume it all by myself.”

“You know me too well, you sly old fox...” Viren shook his head.

“I’m playing for the win, old friend,” Harrow said, patting Viren on the shoulder. “My sister-in-law might join us there for some nights too. She misses the boys and the Breach seems quiet these days.”

“Soren looks up to General Amaya, he’ll like that.”

 _I’m good with whomever as long it’s not Opeli,_ he admitted to himself.

***

The holidays passed mostly peacefully, with Viren’s and Harrow’s children spending the days sledding, hiking or skiing. Claudia loved the ancient ruins so much that Callum drew some very good pictures for her and Soren got caught in a snowboard competition with Amaya and her juniors, Corvus and Gren, who accompanied her to this trip. As long as his children were in a good mood they would keep him in peace to enjoy his own little pleasures.

Lord Viren was indeed in a good mood when the High Council gathered again after the vacation. His mood only improved when he saw Opeli’s face.

“I gather the holiday wasn’t agreeable to you, Opeli?” Harrow asked her.

“Indeed, King Harrow. The beach was crowded, I got sunburnt, seagulls kept stealing my food, the sea so strong that I almost drowned and it was winding so badly I’m still finding sand all over my possessions...” she said, dejectedly.

“May I suggest a soothing potion for your... skin condition, High Cleric?” Viren said.

“... No I...” Opeli winced as the injured face moved to speak. “... Yes, I accept your aid,” she admitted, in defeat. “Thank you for your good services, High Mage.”

“Go to my study after the meeting and I’ll find something for you,” he suggested.

 _And THAT is why I don’t like the beach_ , he thought, smiling inside.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Callum’s Spellbook provided us with some nice new info, along with Opeli liking the beach and Viren disliking seagulls, so I found that it fitted really well with this day’s prompt.
> 
> Gosh, I hate giving titles. I’m sure I’ll write something someday and just name it “Title”.
> 
> I hope you had fun reading! ^^  
> Take care of yourselves and those around you!


End file.
